Thread by @BestForBritain

The Policing bill must be amended to protect the right to protest and end the slippery slope towards authoritarianism. - @rosaltmann 1/
politicshome.com/thehouse/artic…

Britain as a nation has a heritage of standing up to despots and providing sanctuary to the oppressed. Yet the PCSC bill threatens this heritage by impeding our democratic right to freedom of speech and expression. 2/

Britain rightly gave safe haven to pro-democracy protesters from Hong Kong but - “I fear those arriving to our shores from Hong Kong may quickly recognise shadows of repression which they have just escaped.” - @rosaltmann 3/

Within the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, there are positive measures such as tougher sentences for domestic abusers. Despite some of the positive measures within this bill, it is laced with insidious and authoritarian measures. 4/

Buried within this bill is Clause 59 - a direct attack on one of the most fundamental freedoms of any democratic society, the right to peaceful protest. 5/

Clause 59 prohibits large-scale protests from taking place in Parliament Square on the grounds that they may obstruct a vehicle accessing the parliamentary estate. 6/

This will essentially create a “Westminster bubble”, allowing the PM to get from Downing St to the dispatch box, with no sign of protesters. Out of sight, out of mind. 7/

Britain knows about Beijing’s attack on democracy in Hong Kong due to audible and visible protests from the citizens of Hong Kong, leading Britain to offer visas to those wanting to leave. 8/

Yet if Clause 59 of the PCSC remains unamended, then those arriving from Hong Kong will find themselves in a country which also limits protest, stifling freedom of speech and expression. 9/

Parliament Square has been the site of many peaceful protests, by people of all political persuasions. For the UK Government to disallow Parliament Square as a site of protest, is a direct violation of our democratic rights. 10/

Baroness Altmann supports the amendment to Clause 59 and calls upon her Conservative colleagues to back this amendment as well. 11/

“It is time for Parliament to stand up for our cherished freedoms and end this slippery slope towards authoritarianism. Despots surround themselves with yes-men and hear only what they want to. It has never ended well.” - @rosaltmann /END